By contributing writer, Virginia Miner
It’s the time of year for traditional desserts! As a little kid I always enjoyed rolling gingerbread cut-out cookie dough and cutting out fun shapes, so I was very excited to come up with an easy gluten-free version that my own kids can enjoy.
I chose buckwheat flour for this recipe because the color is just right, and the flavor seemed like it would blend well with the traditional winter spices. Buckwheat flour is a very nutritious flour made from buckwheat, which is not a true grain but actually a fruit seed.
I sweetened these cookies with dates, but if you prefer a sweeter cookie you could easily add a touch of honey or maple syrup to the recipe without doing any violence to the flavor. The combination of buckwheat and dates makes for a dark rich flavor, and also for a cookie that is very high in fiber! I don’t feel bad about letting my kids eat a few of these at a sitting.
I also really like spices, so if you prefer mild cookies you may want to adjust the spices to your taste.
Gingerbread Cut out cookies (gluten free, refined sugar free)
Ingredients
- 1 cup buckwheat flour plus more to stiffen dough
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tbsp or more! of cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3-4 dates
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mix the buckwheat flour with all of the spices, and then cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
- Put the dates, water and salt in the blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the date mixture into the flour mixture and stir it up (I use a big fork). If the flour mixture still seems a little moist, add buckwheat flour until the dough is stiff enough to roll out.
- Roll out the dough and cut it into fun shapes.
- Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.
Nutrition
Cristina
Thank you for this recipe, I’m so glad to find it!
Could butter be replaced by coconut oil or a nut based butter?
Beth
Hi Cristina! You could probably sub coconut oil just fine, but I would not sub a nut butter for butter. Despite the similar names – you usually want to swap an oil/fat for another oil/fat. Nut butter is a bigger change with a bigger risk of not working out. HTH!
Cristina
Thank you!
Frances
Yay! GF gingerbread cookies!